This invention relates to a photographic processing apparatus having a function of developing images on negative films, or a function of exposing the images onto a photographic printing paper, or a function of developing the photographic printing paper, or those functions.
There are available photographic processing apparatuses having a function of developing images of a negative film (hereinafter referred to as "a film developing function", when applicable), or a function of exposing images of the negative film onto a photographic printing paper (hereinafter referred to as "paper"), or a function of developing latent images formed on the paper (hereinafter referred to as "a paper developing function", when applicable). In addition, recently there has been provided a photographic processing apparatus which has all of the above-described functions in one body, thus being able to perform all photographic processing operations successively.
In an ordinary photographic processing apparatus, an exposed negative film is drawn out of the cartridge, and the film thus drawn out is immersed in processing tanks containing processing solutions successively so that the film is subjected to development, fixation, washing, and drying. On the other hand, in the photographic processing apparatus in one body as the all-round type able to perform all the photographic processing operations, following the above successive processing, prints are obtained as follows: The frames of the negative film are successively exposed beginning with the first one to form the corresponding latent images on a paper, and the paper thus processed is immersed in the processing tanks successively, and then the paper is subjected to development, fixation, washing, and drying so as to obtain the images on the paper.
The prints thus obtained are stacked in the print storing section. In this operation, the top of the prints thus stacked is a print corresponding to the last frame of the negative film, because the frames of the negative film are exposed beginning with the first frame as was described above.
That is, the order of the prints thus stacked is opposite to that of the frame numbers, which makes it rather troublesome to collate the frames of the negative film with the resultant prints.
On the other hand, the negative film after exposing the images onto the papers is put back into the cartridge. Hence, the cartridge is handled as follows: At the first processing station on the photographic processing line, the film is pulled out of the cartridge, and then the cartridge is moved to the last station, where it receives the negative film processed. When it is required to perform the photographic printing operation again, it is necessary to pull the negative film out of the cartridge again. In this case, in order to perform the photographic processing operations smoothly, the negative film should be pulled out of the cartridge in such a manner that the first frame comes out first. In order to meet this requirement, the negative film must be wound back into the cartridge beginning with its rear end corresponding to the last frame; that is, the negative film must be wound as it was.
In the ordinary photographic processing apparatus having only the negative film developing function or the negative film exposing function, similarly it is desirable that the negative film is wound back into the cartridge so that the film can be pulled out of the cartridge in such a manner that the front end thereof corresponding the first frame comes out first.
In the all-round type photographic processing apparatus in one body, in addition to processing a negative film before development is an already developed film is again processed to obtain prints. In this case, since the negative film is subjected to a development already. That is, it must be forwarded to the negative film exposing section directly without immersing in the developing tank. In the ordinary photographic processing apparatus having only the film developing function or the negative film exposing function, the film conveying path must be determined according to whether or not the film in the cartridge has been developed.